Russian submarine Ufa docks in Kochi, welcomed by Navy for business call

The Russian submarine Ufa has docked at Kochi in India. The Indian Navy warmly welcomed the submarine, accompanied by the rescue tug Alatau, as part of a business call from the Russian Navy's Pacific Fleet.

This visit underscores the strong maritime cooperation between the two nations.

Sharing a post on X, PRO Defence Kochi wrote, "Russian submarine #Ufa docks at #Kochi, met with a warm welcome by the #IndianNavy."

"A symbol of the unshakable friendship between India and Russia, maritime cooperation continues to sail strong," the post added further.

Meanwhile, a day earlier, the Russian embassy in India on its official website had said that a detachment of ships of the Russian Navy's Pacific Fleet arrived on a business call at the port of Kochi.

"On October 21, a detachment of ships of the Russian Navy's Pacific Fleet, consisting of the diesel-electric submarine Ufa and the rescue tug Alatau, arrived on a business call at the port of Kochi," the Russian embassy said.

It added, "The programme of the visit includes a meeting with representatives of the Southern Naval Command of the Indian Navy, sports competitions, and replenishment of supplies."

Notably, India has longstanding and wide-ranging cooperation with Russia in the field of defence. The cooperation is guided by the IRIGC-M & MTC mechanism, headed by the Defence Ministers of both countries. The 20th IRIGC-M & MTC meeting was held in December 2021, according to the Indian embassy in Russia.

India and Russia participate in bilateral and multilateral military exercises across the three services. The bilateral exercise INDRA was last held in 2021. They also participate in multilateral exercises such as Vostok 2022 held in September 2022 in Russia.

Bilateral projects include the supply of S-400, licensed production of T-90 tanks and Su-30 MKI, supply of MiG-29 and Kamov helicopters, INS Vikramaditya (formerly Admiral Gorshkov), production of Ak-203 rifles in India and BrahMos missiles. India-Russia military-technical cooperation has evolved over time from a buyer-seller framework to one involving joint research and development, the co-development and joint production of advanced defence technology and systems.